Chinese forensic medicine – from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Historical and legal outline

The article shows the beginnings of forensic medical opinions in China in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The issues of the participation of experts – experts in matters related to the assessment of health and life were discussed. In addition, the length and tradition of Chinese forensic medicine that has developed since the dawn of time is highlighted. For hundreds of years, inspections and forensic examinations were carried out by government officials – not by doctors. Significant changes in this matter were introduced by Song Ci – a doctor and a judge who is considered to be the “father” of forensics around the world. His work, The Washing Away of Wrongs, changed the fate of forensic and medical opinion in the history of China